Once upon a time, there was a boy named Tich Chu. His parents died early on in his life. He had to live with his grandmother.

Tich Chu’s grandma loved him so much that she took care of him tenderly and carefully. If she had delicious food, she always gave it to Tich Chu. At night, when he slept, she stayed up late to fan him and keep him cool.

Every day, she had to work hard to earn money and raise Tich Chu. She did everything from transplanting rice seedlings to raising chickens and fish. Admiring the grandmother’s great love for Tich Chu, a neighbor said, “Your love for Tich Chu is higher than the sky, wider than the sea. When he is grown up, he’ll never forget your grace. However, Tich Chu didn’t love his grandmother at all. He let her work hard on her own while he played games all day long with his friends in the village.

Because she was working too hard and had a poor diet, Tich Chu’s grandmother fell ill one day. Meanwhile, the boy was busy playing with his friends, leaving her alone at home. One afternoon, the weather was so hot, her fever got worse and she felt thirsty. She called Tich Chu to bring her some water, but she didn’t hear him answer. 

After a while, Tich Chu felt hungry and went home to find something to eat. To his surprise, he saw his grandma turn into a dove and fly into the sky. He was frightened and called to his grandma loudly. Eventually, Tich Chu saw the bird drinking water in a cool stream. He begged his grandmother to come back to him, but she said that she couldn’t. Hearing the bird’s words, Tich Chu burst into tears. Only then did he realise he could be with his grandma no longer and felt bitterly regretful.